Application Of Cluster Analysis In Urban Morphology Research

Anotace: The article presents the taxonomic method of cluster analysis used to identify morphological types of industrial areas. The authors examined three features of the industrial plot in several periods (Po - total area, K - shape index, Pz - built-up area [%]) and used the Ward classification method, which allowed them to identify the morphological types of industrial plots in Łódź, as well as certain representative types for individual periods of study. The development and position of the city is related to the development of the textile industry, built in Łódź from the 1820s. Initially a centre of crafts, it quickly transformed into a cotton and wool production centre in the mid-19th century. In this process, many distinguishing features were created, such as the spatial layout, industrial areas in the morphological and functional structure of the city, industrial and residential architecture. The collapse of the industry took place during the political transformation in Poland after 1989. These studies are among the most traditional in urban studies, focusing on the spatial traces of the city and are combined with statistical methods rarely found in historical research. The study included 10% of the overall number of industrial plots in 1986 in Łódź. The sample was selected intentionally; it consisted of the oldest plots, established in the period of the dynamic development of industrial areas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The applied taxonomic method allowed the authors to create a model for the transformation of industrial plots in Łódź (1896-1986).